Wichita, KS – December 2, 2011 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has launched a safety initiative to educate 100- and 200-series single-engine piston aircraft owners around the world about new supplemental aircraft inspection procedures that will be added to Cessna service manuals.
The supplemental inspections cover Cessna single-engine piston aircraft produced between 1946 and 1986 when Cessna suspended production of piston aircraft. The inspections will be incorporated into the service manuals for the 200-series aircraft in early December and the change for the 100-series aircraft will be made in April 2012.
"The supplemental inspection program we've developed is primarily a visual process aimed at supporting the continued airworthiness of aging airframes," said Beth Gamble, Cessna's principal engineer for airframe structures. "Through this education effort, we hope to answer most questions before we release the revised service manuals. We encourage owners to check in with their local Cessna service affiliate at the appropriate times to have the mandatory inspections completed."
The criteria for initial visual inspections will vary by model and aircraft age or hours of operation and focus primarily on signs of corrosion or structural fatigue damage. Cessna authorized service providers will have special training and access to specific equipment for the inspections and for repairs, if required.
"Corrosion and fatigue are inevitable but with early detection and proper maintenance, severity and effects can be minimized," Gamble said. "The new inspection requirements we've developed are very simple, and are based on visual inspection that can be done quickly by a trained inspector during an annual inspection."
Cessna plans a series of education opportunities on the new inspection procedures starting with the company's authorized parts and service facilities. An interactive presentation is available on the customer access portion of the Customer Service page of Cessna.com and a short video explaining the inspection process is on Cessna's YouTube channel at youtube.com/CessnaAircraftCo.
About Cessna Aircraft Company
Cessna is the world's leading general aviation company. Since its inception in 1927, Cessna has designed, produced and delivered more than 192,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,100 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. Today, Cessna has two principal lines of business: aircraft sales and aftermarket services. Aircraft sales include Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine utility turboprops, single-engine piston aircraft and lift solutions by CitationAir. Aftermarket services include parts, maintenance, inspection and repair services. In 2010, Cessna delivered 535 aircraft, including 179 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of $2.6 billion. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at textron.com.